As the Internet continues to grow in size and popularity, online advertisers are continually seeking new ways to attract the attention of the online audience. Over the years technology of online advertising has progressed from simple banner ads that passively appear on Web pages to interstitials ads that pop-up in separate browser windows to rich media ads that provide streaming video to Web browsers in what amounts to online television commercials.
Due to the increasing expense and competition for ad space associated with online advertising, it is becoming more important for advertisers to know with a high degree of certainty that their ads are effective in reaching their target audience, and that the ads are not simply or easily ignored. To this end, for example, some content providers (such as news Web sites) package advertising video content with news video clips in the hope that when a user clicks on a news video clip link, the user's browser or content player (e.g., Windows Media Player, QuickTime Player, etc.) will force the user to watch the advertising video content—and not skip over it or fast forward through it—before gaining access to the desired news clip. This packaged advertising video content is commonly referred to as a “must watch” segment.
However, such advertising solutions fails to ensure that the user actually views the advertisement content as intended. Tools exists that allow users to buffer incoming video streams and fast forward through them, which defeats the purpose of the packaged advertising video content. Current online advertising solutions do not provide a high degree of certainty that their ads are effectively consumed by the user because they fail to effectively track and manage the ad after it is provided to the user over the Internet.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a system and method that effectively tracks and manages advertising content after it is provided to a user for consumption.